Becht Engineering can provide resources with an owner's perspective to help ensure your projects and turnarounds are successful in terms of safety, quality, cost and schedule. We have seasoned professionals to successfully manage, plan, review and supervise plant projects and turnarounds.

Where will crane mats be in 10 years, 20 years, 50 years? It takes approximately 90 years to grow a 12-inch by 12-inch oak timber twenty feet long. High quality hardwood timbers are becoming harder to find. This is widely known but rarely discussed. The shortage of wood timbers is a national problem. Timber Mats Crane mats have typically been constructed using oak or other select hardwood timbers. In recent years, as supply dwindles, timbers do not measure a full 12-inch cross section. As they are milled, we often see one or more sides are not square but rounded due to the smaller diameter of the raw cut logs. In some cases, we are seeing timber mats made from mixed wood species, and some with combined hard and soft woods. Ground bearing pressure and load distribution calculations for timber mats are based on a full cross section of matched hardwood...

Using the right software tool can save time and improve results of Risk Based Work Selection (RBWS) which is a standalone work process aimed at optimizing turnaround (TA) work scopes. RBWS uses risk assessments to determine if individual worklist items are justified by Health, Safety, & Environmental Risks or Financial Risks. Significant reductions in turnaround work scopes typically result from this structured work process. Becht Engineering has conducted RBWS sessions using a variety of tools ranging from Excel spreadsheets to our custom-built STRAITS Software. Some tools have distinct advantages over others, so we wanted to highlight why a specialized tool should be used for RBWS and what are the key features to look for when selecting a tool. Why is a Specialized Tool Needed? The information necessary to conduct an RBWS should already exist. The challenge is digging the information out of desk drawers, databases, and excel spreadsheets, and organizing...

The API Inspection Codes were originally based on failure prevention and did not consider the consequences of failure or potential damage mechanisms. Risk-based inspection (RBI) assessments result in an equipment risk ranking based on the probability of failure (a leak occurring) and the consequence associated with that leak. Applied properly, RBI provides the benefit of increasing operating efficiencies and unit run lengths of process facilities while maintaining or reducing the current level of risk. As stated above, risk has two components, probability and consequence. In risk-based inspection, the probability of failure is determined by evaluating the initial design conditions and the amount of damage that can potentially occur while the equipment is in operation. Uncertainty in the model is also address by crediting previous inspections. Consequences are commonly evaluated in terms of environmental, health, and safety impact areas or financial loss (lost opportunity, repair costs, etc.). Consequences are also evaluated...

Plan the Work and Work the Plan I am confident that we can agree that it is essential for all projects to have an execution plan to be successful. We have all heard the common phrase, “Plan the Work and Work the Plan.” Many have been participants in strategy meetings discussing the most effective and efficient means to execute a plan on capital project work. So why does it seem that in today’s age of revolutionary technology we seem to be unable to execute a project effectively, efficiently, and without mistakes that cause re-work? In the past few years, most people I know have been involved with, and witnessed projects that failed to finish on time/on budget with mistakes that abound. After working with and servicing the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) business for over 38 years, I have experienced well executed projects and poorly executed projects. Although there can...